Green design for the home is hardly newsbreaking. But a forward-thinking collaborative in Boulder, Colorado, makes  sustainable home furnishings, clothing, and little luxuries accessible to everyone.

As a resident, I feel confident stating that Boulder practically invented the ethos of green living. Yet even amongst the  city’s (third party-certified, controlled wood) forest of eco-chic boutiques; green design firms;  grocery stores and restaurants defined by locally-sourced ingredients;  hybrid automobiles; LEED-certified buildings;  cyclists, and non-profits devoted to planetary salvation, madelife stands out.

Formerly known as factoryMADE (the branding transition is happening as you read), this groovy, green design showroom located just off happening East Pearl Street is a store and collaborative artist space boasting cutting-edge products made from reclaimed or ethically-made, – sourced-and-shipped materials. Eighty percent of the stock is made by Colorado artists, designers, and other creative folk.

Before you start envisioning hand-loomed hemp yoga mats and recycled beer bottle bongs, allow me to explain: madelife’s largely consignment-based inventory is super-stylish, and undeniably cool. The vibe might best be described as “agrarian-urban-mod,” or, perhaps, “etsy-meets-Design Within Reach.” There are trendy threads and funky dining tables made from repurposed basketball court hardwood. Shed antlers are gilded and decorated with beguiling curlicues (Suggested use: hat rack or necklace display.).

Jewelry, both delicate and chunky, is crafted from copper wire, old bike parts, feathers, antler, leather, metal scraps, and other odds and ends. Luscious apothecary goods are chock-full of natural ingredients like beeswax, essential oils, and other botanical goodness. Woodblock-printed pillows accentuate modernist sofas sheathed in nubby fabric; wee woodland dioramas are housed in old cigar boxes. Once, I dropped by and discovered a gloriously refurbished, peony-pink Frigidaire; you never know what kinds of treasure you’ll find at madelife, but the place never fails to inspire or incite desire.

This is why they also offer workshops and events for all ages (The company website states, “We curate + cultivate creative talent, community, and culture;” they also do custom video, music, and design for select clients, and donate 10-percent of their net profits to “underserved young people with creative potential.”).

Kids’ summer camps this year include classes on storybook making and functional art. Big people can try their hand at silversmithing, making beauty products, constructing terrariums, sewing, and reupholstering furniture. Check out the summer schedule and get your craft on.

Images: (top) madelife (All other images) whimseybox

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This bold kitchen is the culmination of vivid color, bohemian flair and pure comfort. Get this vision in fuchsia, a hot color for spring – only get it greener. Here’s a simple six step plan to effortlessly adapt this look (daresay improve this look) using only environmentally friendly products.

1. Slather a dose of Little Greene Mischief water-based paint on your wall. Get the unassuming look of imperfect texture with a single casual application. Paint on this whimsical color, which is bordering dangerously close to the 2011 color of the year, with confidence.

2. Scour local flea markets and architectural salvage yards for large marquee typography or order a Custom Letter from Hindsvik in raw wood grain. Let the letter rest against your freshly painted fuchsia wall for a delicious contrast, or finish it with paint one shade darker than the wall for a subtle accessory (add a few drops of black paint to your leftover Mischief for the perfect color).

3. Gather a few random patterned tiles to lean against your wall and serve as an impromptu backsplash and eclectic design element (another reason to search local flea markets and architectural salvage yards). Beautiful lavastone tiles from Made a Mano are another lovely option – order a range of patterns, colors, and sizes.

4. Dangle a woven pendant light (your choice of teardrop or spherical) to cast dramatic shadows across the room. If you have a high ceiling, hang an elongated pendant low to create an intimate dining area. If your ceilings are low, select a smaller pendant and hang it close to your ceiling to avoid making your space seem smaller. Tucker Robbins has excellent lighting options (like the stunning Votive Shade). If you’re feeling artistic, give this project a try.

5. The Vintage Fir Cross-Beam Table from VivaTerra will provide a strong anchor for the room. Flank the rugged wooden table with light and crisp Wishbone Chairs from VivaTerra to create a balance of bulk and air. Cap each end of the trestle table with the versatile woven Banda Ottoman from Anthropologie.

6. The final step is to bring a warm and inviting texture to the space. If the allure of lambskin is too strong to refuse, choose an option tanned without chemicals (like the sumptuous Black Sheep White Light products). If you’d sleep better at night knowing there is nothing more than organic cotton in your kitchen, toss a Cable-Knit Throw from VivaTerra across each Wishbone Chair to warm the winter chill.

All the glamour and aesthetic of the gorgeous kitchen above with natural and environmentally friendly products? Yes, please.

Visit all of EcoSalon’s Get the Look ideas for more inspiration.

(Image spotted on Little Blue Deer.)

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The Waterhouse hotel in Shanghai is an industrial gem, salvaged from the spoils of war. The four-story hotel was built from a three-story Japanese Army headquarters from the 1930s. The Chinese architecture firm NHDRO (Neri & Hu Design and Research Office) made a series of perfect decisions to arrive at the gorgeous boutique hotel. Existing raw concrete and exposed brick were preserved, and new steel additions draw on the industrial skeleton for relevance.

Modern architecture combines seamlessly with old industrial components to capitalize on the location – a rooftop terrace offers adjacency and intimacy with the Huangpu River and offers gorgeous views of the glamorous Pudong skyline.

A unique relationship between spatial divisions exists at The Waterhouse. This quote from NHDRO explains, “The interior strategy is expressed through a blurring and inversion of the inside/outside as well as public/private, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for the hotel guest who longs for the extraordinary.”

(Beautiful photography by Pedro Pegenaute.)

The post The House That War Built appeared first on EcoSalon.

One of our favorite design mediums is clay because we’re in awe at what an artist can create out of clumps of earth and a little water. Of course, there was also that scene in Ghost that makes us love clay even more… but we digress.

Here are five of our favorite clay designers that we think you’ll love, too.

Hippiekingdom

How can you not love this chunky beaded bracelet made from forest green natural clay? There’s even matching earrings and a necklace if you want to get all coordinated. Besides coming up with awesome clay-based jewelry, this designer also creates neat stuff out of paper, so be sure to check out the entire shop.

American Clay

When it comes to interior design, it’s hard to beat the look of walls covered in environmentally friendly, non-toxic earth plaster. Available in several colors and textures, American Clay’s approach to wall coverings get high marks from us for their beauty and the way it can be used from the most contemporary to the most traditional design schemes.

One Dream Design

Speaking of interior decorating, get a load of these handmade basin sinks. They’re just stunning and come in all kinds of shapes, colors and sizes to match your bathroom’s decor. This company also makes whimsical vases, bowls, and pots, like this 36-inch high vase with human-shaped ears for handles.

Atelier NL

Home design blog Dwell spotted this amazing line of clay kitchenware called Polderceramics. Each piece is made from clay taken from farms all around the Netherlands, then shaped into bowls, jugs, carafes, and other beautiful ceramics. It’s a gorgeous approach to tableware that makes us hope they create product lines for other rooms in the home.

Echo of Deco

If you’re a fan of art deco, you’ll go nuts for designs in this British pottery gallery. For example, take the line of darling glazed animal-shaped figures above. It’s called the “Ark Deco” line – get it? Ha! All the other pieces in the gallery are just as clever and reminiscent of the 1920’s and 1930’s jazz era and are just too cool for words.

Image: Atelier Clay Service

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When the economy crashes, the knee-jerk reaction delivers a painful blow to the design industry. How many  remodeling and decorating projects have been put on hold? How many clients tell their designers they can’t spend another dime?

Showrooms in design centers throughout the country are struggling to hang on due to inactivity. The industry trickle-down effect dries up the business for architects and interior designers, especially in the middle-income sector which is playing it safe while riding the tide.

Does that mean no new appliances, landscaped yards, carpets or lighting? Not entirely. In many cases, homeowners are going the green route which also means the more energy-efficient and cost-saving path to boosting their environments without over-investing.

With that in mind, a Denver, Colo. firm is launching the first online Green Design Summit June 29-30. Gail Doby, co-founder of the Denver-based Design Success University, is hosting the two-day educational series, which is expected to draw 800 to 1,000 participants, according to ASID. Industry pros will enlighten participants with knowledge of how to go green stylishly. Plus, we all know green marketing is the new key to success.

“The green training may help these professionals’ finances to stay in the black,” observes Doby, who has lined up 10 speakers immersed in different realms of the eco-renaissance.

Gail Doby, co-founder of telesummit

They include authors, like Cassie Walker, The Green Office Handbook, Michael Port, Think Big manifesto –  Think you can’t change your life? Think Again, and Penna Bonda, green blogger for Interior Design Magazine and author of Mother of Green Interiors.

Also lending guidance are eco-friendly product designer Robin Wilson,  HGTV star Libby Langdon, and Tom Hamilton, Senior Product Manager for Philips Color Kinetics.

Tickets go on sale June first for the summit ($297) being delivered by webcast beginning both days at 11 a.m. EDT. Members of the home industry aren’t the only ones who will benefit from the huge endeavor.

Proceeds will aid the town of Greensburg, Kansas, which was leveled by a huge tornado in 2007. May 4 was the second anniversary of the disaster. It  was commemorated by townspeople with a dedication of the first LEED Platinum John Deere dealership.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, left, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius along with Mayor Bob Dixon take a walking tour of Greensburg, Kan., on Wednesday

As in post-flood New Orleans, this small city is using its rebuilding effort as an opportunity to green public facilities, including the city’s theater and museum.

Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixon says his city will greatly benefit from five percent of the telesummit’s profits, in addition to a request for material donations being sought by the design summit organizers.

“We’d like to see Greensburg become the eco-tourism capital of the world,” says the mayor. ” Companies can bring their customers here to see sustainable building products and all kinds of eco-friendly businesses.  We want to be a living laboratory.”

Images: Orlin Wagner, AP;

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